Cloth-stretching machine.



S. BIRCH.

CLOTH STEETCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, 1907.

1,005,801. Patented 001.17,1911.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA FLANDGRAPH C0..WASHINOTON. D. C.

S. BIRCH.

CLOTH STRETOHING momma.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 5, 1907 1,005,801, Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lgdneases 0 1700671107 QQL/ZQK v COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH (IQ-,WASMINOIDN, D C.

S. BIRCH.

CLOTH STRETGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, 1901.

1,005,801. Patented 061121911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

MwoLE 0F EXPANIJER END OF Egwmosn wdizessas COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINGTON. 01.

ITED STAT-ES PATENT UFFICE- SYDNEY BIRCH, OF ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN FINISHING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, CHUSETTS.

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CLOTI-I-STRETCHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Continuation of application Serial No. 354,578, filed January 28, 1907.

Patented (lot. 17, 1911. This application filed October 5,

1907. Serial No. 396,053.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYDNEY BIRCH, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Arlington, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth- Stretching Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' This invention relates to an improvement in cloth stretching machines.

The object of the invention is to produce a machine which will stretch cloth in the direction of its width to the full extent pos sible without tearing the cloth, and with the expenditure of the least power.

To the above end the present invention consists in the cloth stretcher hereinafter described Y and particularly defined in the claims.

- This application is a continuation of the application filed by the present applicant January 28, 1907, Serial No. 354,57 8.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention,

" Figure l is an elevation of the cloth stretcher in position on the drying cylinder of a drying machine; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the central portion of one of i the expanders; Fig. 4 is a detail showing the spring support for the journals of the expanders; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating the progressive stretching action of the rolls; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the action of the defiectable members of the stretchers; Fig. 7 illustrates the path of motion of the ends of the deflectable members; and Fig. 8 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 7, showing how the v deflectable members are deflected. 45

The illustrated embodiment of the invention and its mode of operation are as follows The stretcher consists of a series of three expanders, 1, 2 and 3, mounted to rotate freely upon the axes parallel to the drying cylinder 4. The cloth 5 to be stretched runs in between the expander 1 and the cylinder 4:, and is thereby stretched somewhat in width;

- it thenpasses between the expander 2 and yided with shafts mounted in the cylinder and is further stretched; it then passes on to the expander 3 and is stretched to its widest limit. From there it passes on to the drying cylinder 4: and is carried over the successive drying cylindersin the usual way. The expanders are proournals 6 supported in end frames 7. These end frames 7 are mounted upon a shaft 8 which extends from side to side of the machine, and is supported in bearings 9 secured on the frame of the drying machine. Dogs 10, provided with arms 11, are secured upon the shaft 8, and adjusting screws 12 threaded.

through the arms 11 afford means for rocking the shaft 8 in its bearings, so as to press the expanders against the drying cylinder with greater or less pressure as may be demanded by the cloth, and the degree to which it is desired to stretch it, for when the expanders are pressed harder against expander-s in the direction of the open ends of the housings 18, when the expander is removed from contact with the drying cylinder. I

The expanders consist of a series of wooden disks 16 provided with hog-bristle tufts 17 inserted in the rims of the disks in the manner of brush bristles. The central disks 19 and 20 have their bristles extended upwardly at an angle of 90 to the axis of the expander, the bristles in the other disks are set at an angle of 60 to theaxis of the expander and away from the middle- The disks 16 are of uniform diameter from end to end of the expanders 1 and 2 but the bristles are shorter in the middle than at i.

the ends, as is shown in the drawings. The expander 3 has end portions only built up like the expanders 1 and 2, but which do not extend to the middle of the expander.

The operation of this stretching appaing if any,

ratus is as follows :The cloth 5 approaches the bight between the expander 1 and the drying cylinder 4, and when the bristles first engage the cloth they extend straight out for their full length without having been bent or distorted, that is, they engage the cloth first as at a in Fig. 8, then as the drying cylinder 4 rotates the ends of the bristles in contact with the cloth move along the lines I; as shown in Fig. 7, and the ends of the bristles engagthe threads of the cloth stretch it as they bend. Having stretched the cloth, the bristles slide back over it through the paths indicated by the lines 0 in Fig. 7 and cease their contact with the cloth at (Z. From this point to the next line of contact a on expander 2 the cloth moves without being stretched, but at the expander 2 the second stretching operation takes place. The operation is further repeated at the expander 3. The condition of the bristles in the bight between the expander 1 and the drying cylinder t is illustrated in Fig. 6, in which it will middle of the expander are deflected little While those at the end are much deflected. The radial bristles at the middle of the expanders operate to compel the expander to rotate and to hold the cloth from traveling laterally. here more than one expander is used, as in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, it is not necessary that all of the expanders should be continuous from end to end, so in this form the expender 3 has end portions only.

" many other connections,

While the present invention has been illustrated in connection with the cylinder of a drying machine, it is to be understood that the invention is adapted for use in and indeed it is not considered that there is necessarily required any support for the cloth opposite the expander, as the deflection of the bristles may be secured by the passage of the cloth over the expander. The present invention is not limited to the use of bristles on the expanders, as it comprehends broadly the use of any sort of deflectable members which are deflected by engagement with and thereby stretch the cloth.

It has been found that in connection with some machines, especially where the cloth is guided accurately to the expander,

an expander having end portions only 1s satisfactory in operation.

The invention is not limited to the use of expanders constructed in the form of rolls, nor in any other way to the particular construction illustrated in the drawings, as the invention contemplates any construction of expanding device .for use in stretching cloth having deflectable members which are be seen that the bristles near the 1 from its periphery in a shaped deflected by engagement with and thereby operate to stretch the cloth, and it is immaterial, in the broader aspects, whether the deflectable members are deflected in opposite directions on opposite sides of the middle of the expander or not, as it is apparent that the portion of an expander in which the bristles act in one direction is susceptible of use in stretching cloth, irrespective of whether they are opposed by other oppositely acting deflectable members or by other means.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A cloth stretcher, having, in combination, an expander consisting of a roll formed of a series of disks mounted on a shaft, and a series of bristle tufts projecting from each disk inclined to the axis of the disk, substantially as described.

a disk having a series of bristle tufts mounted to project beyond its periphery and inclined to its axis, substantially as described.

3. In an expander for a cloth stretcher, a disk, and a series diagonally beyond one side of the disk, their outer ends forming a substantially cylindrical surface, substantially as described.

4. In an expander for a cloth stretcher, a disk having an annular rim, and a series of bristle tufts projecting diagonally be- 1, yond the periphery of the rim, substantially as described.

5. In an expander for a cloth stretcher, a disk provided with bristles projecting direction inclined to the plane of rotation of the disk, substantially as described.

6. An article of manufacture consisting of a cloth stretching brush having a cupshaped rim and projecting outwardly therefrom, w

disk with bristles inserted in its substantially as described.

7. An article of manufacture consisting of a cloth stretching brush having a cupdisk with apertures formed through its rim, and a series of bristle tufts secured in the apertures,

8. An article of manufacture consisting of a cloth stretching brush having a cupshaped disk with apertures extending through its rim in a direction inclined outwardly away from disk, and a series of outwardly projecting bristle tufts secured in the apertures, substantially as described.

9. An article of manufacture consisting 2. In an expander for a cloth stretcher, if

of bristle tufts mounted ion the periphery of the disk to project substantially as described.

the cupped side of the 5? of a cloth stretching brush having an inte '7 gral bristle-receiving rim, and an inner supporting portion joined to the rim at the edge thereof and adapted to receive a sup: porting shaft, substantially as described.

10. An article of manufacture consisting I of a cloth stretching brush having an integral rim with bristle-receiving apertures formed therein, and an inner supporting portion formed integral With the rim at one side of the bristle-receiving apertures and adapted to receive a supporting shaft, substantially as described.

11. An article of manufacture consisting of a cloth stretching brush having a disk 7 provided with bristles projecting from its periphery in a direction inclined to the plane of the disk, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in presence of tWo Witnesses.

SYDNEY BIRCH.

Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN, ANNIE C. RICHARDSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

